Futuristic Four

"He's Just a Little Bit Very Very Different."

Violet woke up with a cough, glancing around blearily. She was cradled in the arms of some white, warm, fluffy balloon person. Hiro was sitting at a table nearby, fiddling with a screwdriver and a yellow microchip. Penny was reclining on a couch, going through photographs in her hands.

"The patient Violet Parr has woken up," the white balloon robot announced. Hiro and Penny both glanced up from what they were doing.

"Violet!" Hiro cheered. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've got a headache," Violet replied. "What did I miss?"

"My scanners can detect no lasting damage in patient Violet Parr," the robot said.

"Thanks, Baymax. You can put Violet down now," Hiro offered. Baymax set Violet on her feet.

"You have been a good girl," he said. His fingers ejected a lollipop. "Have a lolly."

"Thanks," Violet said, taking it and putting it in her pocket. Baymax wandered away to a soccer ball on the floor, pushing it around the large room.

"Where are we?" Violet asked.

"In the future," Hiro answered. "Wilbur brought us here. He says he's part of the Trans-Time Protection Team or something. He went off to do something."

"Some protection team," Penny sighed, putting the photos in her pocket. "Bolt was captured, and we're not doing anything to go back for him yet."

"Bolt doesn't have any super powers," Hiro reminded her. "Richard Harthen has no reason to keep him, or hurt him. If anything Violet is the one we should be worried about. She's the one with actual super powers."

"You don't have powers?" Violet asked Hiro. He shook his head.

"I built a suit and Baymax's chips, which make it seem like I have powers. But I don't actually have them."

"That's crazy," Violet said, glancing around. She turned to Penny.

"What's your story?" Violet asked.

"I'm a tv actress," Penny replied. "I was the star of the show Bolt."

"Oh yeah! I heard that it was really good before they switched out the cast."

One of the glass tubes sticking out of the ceiling rattled, and moments later Wilbur shot out of it and landed on the floor. He joined the others around the table.

"We've got good news and bad news," he announced. "The good news is that Richard seems to have lost our trail, at least for now. But the bad news is that we've lost track of him too."

"Don't you have any idea where Bolt is?" Penny asked. Wilbur shook his head.

"Not yet," he admitted. "But we'll get him back, I promise."

"WILBUR!" Carl yelled, shooting out of the glass tube and rushing towards the group.

"What now?" Wilbur asked.

"Lewis is back, and he's coming to check on the time machine!"

"Who's Lewis?" Penny asked.

"He's, uh, the guy who invented the time machine," Wilbur replied. "How about you guys go check out the sights of the city? Carl can go with you, and there's no worries about Richard Harthen catching up to you."

"What about you?" Hiro asked.

"I'll catch up," Wilbur promised.

"Come on, come on!" Carl said, herding everyone outside as Wilbur was sucked back into the glass tube.

Once outside, a hover-car pulled up to them. They all climbed inside as Carl moved to the driver's seat. The pulled away from the building and onto a road.

"Do you guys get the feeling Wilbur isn't telling us everything?" Violet asked as they drove towards the city.

"Sometimes," Hiro agreed.

"I don't know, I think he's just shy," Penny said.

"Shy?" Violet repeated.

"Penny, Wilbur isn't shy," Hiro said as he shook his head.  "He's crazy.  You didn't see him trying to be a bird."

"Just give him a chance, guys," Penny pleaded.  "He saved our lives after all.  Just like how he'll help us save Bolt."

"Wilbur isn't shy," Carl piped up from the driver's seat.  "He's just a little bit very very different."

"How can someone be a little bit very very different?" Hiro asked.

"If they've just got that one thing which makes them so different that they don't fit in anymore," Violet answered.

"That's right," Carl agreed.

"So what's Wilbur's one thing?" Penny asked.

"That's on a need-to-know basis," Carl told her, "and you're not getting any more out of me."

His robotic mouth literally zipped itself closed.  Penny leaned forward and tapped his shoulder.

"You may not tell us," she said, "but I'll just figure it out on my own."

Carl's mouth unzipped itself.

"That's what I'm worried about," he muttered.